Wildflowers
by KittyGoddess415
Summary: Three different ways Chuck shows Sarah how he sees her, and where she belongs. Sarah considers the offer. Unrelated one-shots inspired by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "Wildflowers". Lyrics at the end of Chapter 3. EPILOGUE ADDED 6/23/09. COMPLETE.
1. Dreams and Nightmares

**Dreams and Nightmares**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Chuck, or Sarah, or Tom Petty, or the Heartbreakers. Or romance, or angst. Of which there will be both. But much more fluff than sadness. So prepare for cavities. There. You are disclaimed.

**Summary**: Three different ways Chuck shows Sarah how he sees her, and where she belongs. Sarah considers the offer. Unrelated one-shots inspired by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "Wildflowers". Lyrics at the end of Chapter 3. :)

* * *

Startled, Chuck's eyes flew open. "Wha?" he managed in a hoarse whisper. (Room's still dark, alarm is off, why am I--)

"Unh," came out of the darkness beside him. "Unh, no, you can't...Chuck," Sarah moaned and twisted in her sleep.

(Nightmare?) Chuck turned on his side towards her. He could barely make out the shape of her body in the darkness, and slowly sidled closer, careful not to touch her. (I somehow don't think she would want me to know she has them. Plus, surprising a spy is hazardous to my health.) "Sarah," he whispered. "Sarah, you're having a nightmare."

She shook her head, twisting the sheets tighter in her hands. "I won't let them, I won't let them take you," she murmured, twisting them still tighter.

(Oh God. She's about to garrote someone _in her sleep_.) "Sarah, it's a dream, come on, it's okay," he tried again.

She twisted the sheets tighter, jerking lightly. "I won't let them hurt you," she muttered.

(Oh, Sarah...Screw this...) He moved closer to spoon behind her, gently wrapping an arm around her waist, hoping physical contact would help break her free of the nightmare. "No, no you won't, Sarah, you never have," he whispered, "I'm okay, come on, come with me..." He tried to pluck the sheets out of her death grip.

"Chuck?"

(Okay, we have contact. Huh. Guess that directed dream stuff Lester babbles about might work.) "Yeah, Sarah, it's me, I'm okay now, come on."

"Mmm, Chuck," she sighed, "you're all right." Her hands slowly released the sheet. "I told you I'd protect you," she whispered.

"You always do, Sarah," he sighed softly. Unable to restrain himself anymore, he gently grazed her cheek with the side of his hand. When she nuzzled into the touch, he smiled. (I have an idea...)

He leaned in close to her ear. "Look, Sarah, we're on a picnic, can you see it?" He closed his eyes and pictured it in his mind. "We're at the beach, up on the dunes, where the beach grass is just starting to lose hold in the sand. There are wildflowers still hanging on, purple and yellow, like a postcard. And it's just you and me on a blanket. The picnic basket has a chilled bottle of champagne, and we're watching the sun set."

He heard her sigh contentedly and snuggle into the bed and he smiled. (Thank goodness. I can't stand her having nightmares on my account. But while I have her unwitting attention...) "I love you, Sarah," he whispered.

"I love you too, Chuck," she murmured in reply, as she grabbed his arm and wrapped it more securely around her. She sighed and settled back to sleep, snoring softly.

Chuck gulped in the darkness, as he felt her body pressed against his and her words echoed in his head. (Don't freak out.)

* * *

**A.N.**: What do you think? Was listening to the boy's iPod in the car and this song came on. My mind immediately started racing with sweet fluffy Charah. :) So here we are.


	2. Come Sail Away

**Come Sail Away**

**A.N.**: Disclaimers in Chapter 1, lyrics in Chapter 3, story all over. :)

* * *

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Chuck pleaded. "I can't believe you've never been out on the water for _fun."_

Sarah sighed. "I should never have told you," she complained. "If this is what I get for telling you one seemingly innocuous thing about myself, you're not getting anything else out of me!"

Chuck quieted. "But, I just..."

Sarah pointed a finger at his nose. "Stop right there, Bartowski. I mean it."

He ducked his head and muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" she questioned sternly. The bell above the door to the Orange Orange jingled merrily as Morgan walked in.

"Hey guys!" Morgan said cheerfully. His brain caught up to what his eyes had registered and his smile faded. "I'll just-"

Sarah summoned a smile, "Oh, I was just telling Chuck I really have no interest in going sailing, it's not my thing." She stood from the table and returned to her post behind the counter. "What can I get you?"

"Oh, not for me, my Anna Banana requires blood orange fro yo with sour gummies."

Sarah turned her back to Chuck and Morgan as she served up the treat.

"Told you being president of the Yacht Club was useless, dude," Morgan laughed.

(President of the Yacht Club?) "Um, Chuck, honey, you never mentioned that..." (Crap. Good job there, Walker.)

Chuck laughed, but Sarah heard the strain in it. "Yeah, well, when you cut me off I figured it wouldn't matter."

She handed Morgan his bounty for Anna, walked back over to Chuck, and turning his head to her, kissed him softly on the lips. "Sorry, honey, I'd love to go sailing with the President of the Yacht Club. I don't know why you didn't tell me that to start." She sat back down across from him. Her eyes held his, and she willed them to convey that the apology was genuine as Morgan nodded goodbye to them both before beating a hasty retreat.

Chuck smiled slightly. "I guess I'm not used to bragging." He plucked her hand up from the table and kissed it, and Sarah silently sighed in relief. He continued, "I wanted to just rent a little sailboat, you, me, an 'awesome' picnic basket from Ellie, and a nice day out in the bay. Deal?"

"Deal."

***

The weather was flawless that weekend, a jewel blue sky meeting a jewel blue sea.

"What do you think?" Chuck asked, confidently maneuvering the sailboat into open waters.

Sarah sat with the wind blowing through her hair and a glass of wine in hand. She smiled. "I think I should say yes to you more often."

"Well, there _is _this small matter of you being my _real _girlfriend," he teased.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I keed! I keed!" he replied, doing an exaggerated Triumph the Insult Dog impression. "But I do have something for you, cover girlfriend or real." Trimming the sails quickly, he reached down into one of the compartments of the boat and came up with a bouquet of wildflowers. "For you, a token of thanks for giving me a chance to share a first with you. I may not know everything about you, but I'll always know this was real."

His smile melted her. "Thanks, Chuck," she managed in a whisper, as she accepted them.

"I'm sorry about the flowers, but I don't know your favorites. Roses just seem too overdone, sunflowers and daisies seemed too obvious, and lilies and orchids remind me of funerals." Chuck suddenly paled. "Unless, oh crap, unless one of those is your favorite in which case I apologize profusely and take back any negative thing I said about them-"

Sarah laid a hand on his arm, breaking his rambling apology. "I happen to very much love wildflowers. They're perfect for today. But for future reference? Daffodils," she smiled wistfully as she added, "Or forget-me-nots."

He sat across from her and took her hand, gazing deeply into her eyes as he replied, "I never could."

* * *

**A.N.: **Toothache? ;) It's been a rough week at work, needed something sweet.


	3. A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

**A Picture Worth a Thousand Words**

**A.N.**: Disclaimer in Chapter 1, lyrics follow here, and sugar and sunshine within. :) Hope you've enjoyed.

* * *

Chuck watched Sarah run through the botanical gardens with girlish glee and smiled. (Who would've thought Sarah Walker would love flowers so much?) He laughed as she did her best hummingbird impression, flitting from flower to flower. (And who would've thought this is how a spy spends her day off?) He took aim with his iPhone as she closed her eyes and leaned in to smell some lavender. (Perfect. She looks totally peaceful.)

As if hearing his phone camera, her eyes shot open and she rounded on him with a glare.

"Did you just take a picture of me to show Casey?" she accused.

"What? No! I took a picture for...well, for me!" he replied sheepishly. "I just want some pictures of you not being an," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "agent, and just being you."

She sighed. "Chuck, you know that you can't keep pictures of me once this is over, right?"

"Yeah, I know," he sighed, deflated. "But I'm keeping this till then," he added defiantly.

She met his gaze and read his resolve in his eyes. "Fine," she huffed. "But you have to promise not to show Casey! I'll never hear the end of it if he sees me being girly."

The grin spread over his face like sunshine. "I promise!" He looked around and, seeing no one was watching, plucked a spring of lavender and placed it behind Sarah's ear. "Perfect!"

"Chuck…"

He raised his eyebrows in a mini-Bartowski eyebrow dance, coaxed the unwitting smile and captured it in his iPhone. "Fine, I'll give you a veto." He waved her over to look.

She took the phone out of his hand and examined the picture. (Wow. I look…happy. And carefree. Damn it, and maybe a little in love.) She looked up at Chuck, her heart full and her mind slightly terrified. "It's…perfect." (Maybe more than a little...)

Chuck's smile was blinding. "Told you!" He put her arm in his. "Today, you get to be just a girl, out with her boyfriend. I'll pretend to be slightly unwilling to follow you around to all the flowers, and you pretend to force me. That way, I get to see you pout." He flashed her a smile. "And I'll just need one picture of that pout too, please."

"Chuck, you're pushing it..."

He wiggled his eyebrows. "And you love it."

Sarah slapped his hand lightly. (You have no idea.)

* * *

**A.N.**: Fluffy, sweet, just like cotton candy. There are some angst bunnies trying to rear their (terribly enticing) heads in the back of my mind, but I will leave this as is. If anything the angst will be a sequel that you can choose to read or not. Lyrics below. :)

_Wildflowers -- Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers_

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat

out at sea

Sail away, kill off the hours

You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, find you a lover

Go away somewhere all bright and new

I have seen no other

Who compares with you

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong in a boat out at sea

You belong with your love on your arm

You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, go find a lover

Run away, let your heart be your guide

You deserve the deepest of cover

You belong in that home by and by

You belong among the wildflowers

You belong somewhere close to me

Far away from your trouble and worries

You belong somewhere you feel free

You belong somewhere you feel free


	4. Introductions and Confessions

**Introductions and Confessions**

**A.N.**: Okay, so sue me. I was listening to "Wildflowers" this morning and another idea popped into my head. Consider this a coda or an epilogue. Not as fluffy as the rest, but still, hopefully sweet enough. Hope you like it. :)

* * *

It was only her training that kept her from hyperventilating. Her breath still came in rapid gasps, shallow inhalations followed by shaky exhalations.

(It was so clear before I got here!) She looked down at her shaking hands. (Goddamn it, why is this so hard? It's _Chuck_.)

She stood frozen outside the door, too paralyzed to even knock. She could see the lights inside, heard Ellie's laughter, heard the murmur of Chuck's voice. She could feel the warmth and love radiating from within. (Why am I so scared of it? How many times has he tried to get me to be honest and real?) She reached a hand up, caressed the hard wood of the door.

"Walker," came the voice behind her. (Damn it.) She turned to see Casey watching with a smirk, arms crossed as he leaned against the door of his own apartment. "Just knock already."

Startled, she quirked an eyebrow at him. "Huh?" (Totally not what I expected...)

Casey rolled his eyes. "I don't give a damn if you want to compromise yourself, just don't screw it up with the geek. The only thing worse than lady feelings is hurt and mopey lady feelings, and I want nothing to do with that. You know what you want, and he's made it nauseating clear what _he _wants. Now knock on the damn door." He turned back around without waiting for a response and shut his door.

She gazed at the closed door for a solid thirty seconds, shocked at the longest speech Casey had made in recent history, but more surprised by its content. (He's on our side...now I just need some guts...) She turned back to Casa Bartowski and knocked on the door before she could change her mind.

She heard another peal of laughter from Ellie, and had nearly turned away when the door swung open.

"Sarah?" Ellie's voice called her back. "Hey! I wasn't expecting you tonight! Come on in!" She called behind her, "Chuck, it's-" She cut off with a laugh as Chuck appeared nearly instantly at her shoulder. "Or you could be right there." She stepped aside.

"Sarah?" he questioned.

(Oh God, say something!) "Chuck..." she started helplessly.

His gaze met hers searchingly. Ellie perceptively left the room, clearing her throat to let them know and dragging Devon with her. "Pancakes in the morning if you want to stay, Sarah," she said nonchalantly. "Good night guys!"

Chuck nodded and Sarah managed a weak reply. As the bedroom door closed, Chuck hauled Sarah in, shutting the door behind her and turning to the kitchen to get her a drink.

A soft voice came from behind him. "My name is Sarah Lisa Walker. You've always known my real name. It's killed me not to tell you. That was the one thing I insisted on when I joined the CIA. I was younger than most recruits, and I asked that sometimes I be able to use my real name as my cover, to keep some semblance of myself. My birthday is September 8, but I'm not a typical Virgo. I'm an only child, you know about my dad and my mom died when I was young. I grew up all over, but I have the best memories of living simply for a year in Chicago. We were just regular people for a change. I hate olives, probably because while we had to lay low between cons all we could afford was dried pasta and canned olives. I love sunsets and camellias, I hate fast food, so it was hell working at Wienerlicious, even besides the sausage smell. And I have never, in my entire life, wanted to share all of that with anyone else but you."

Chuck had been frozen in place as Sarah spoke. As she finally stopped to breathe, she whispered, "Chuck?"

She was utterly unprepared for the brilliant smile on his face as he turned towards her, and even less prepared for him.

He crossed to her in three long legged strides and grasped her by the shoulders, smiling down at her. "Sarah..." He gently ran his hands down her arms to take hold of her hands. "Sarah Lisa Walker," he repeated happily. "Nice to finally meet you."

* * *

**A.N.**: I think I gave myself a cavity. Happy Tuesday. :)


End file.
